Jack Klugman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jack Klugman
Publicity photo for The Twilight Zone, 1963
Born	(1922-04-27)April 27, 1922 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	December 24, 2012(2012-12-24) (aged 90) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles
Education	Carnegie Mellon University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1950–2012
Spouse(s)	Brett Somers ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1977)​ Peggy Crosby ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	2, including Adam
Relatives	Brian Klugman (grand-nephew)
Awards	Emmy Award (1964, 1971, 1973) Golden Globe Award (1974)

Jack Klugman (born April 27, 1922 – died December 24, 2012) was a famous American actor. He performed in plays, movies, and on television.

He started his acting journey in 1950. Soon after, he began working in TV and films. Some of his early movie roles were in 12 Angry Men (1957) and Cry Terror! (1958). In the 1960s, he appeared as a guest star on many TV shows.

Klugman won his first Primetime Emmy Award in 1964. This was for his guest role on the show The Defenders. He also appeared four times on the classic show The Twilight Zone between 1960 and 1963.

In 1965, Klugman took over the role of Oscar Madison in the Broadway play The Odd Couple. Five years later, he played Oscar Madison again in the TV show The Odd Couple. In this show, he starred alongside Tony Randall. The series was very popular and ran from 1970 to 1975. Klugman won two more Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for his work on The Odd Couple.

From 1976 to 1983, he played the main character in Quincy, M.E.. In this show, he was a medical examiner who solved crimes. He received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for this role.

Jack Klugman's Early Life

Jack Klugman was born in Philadelphia. He was the youngest of six children. His parents, Rose and Max Klugman, had moved from Russia. His father was a house painter, and his mother made hats.

Klugman served in the United States Army during World War II. After the war, he went to the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. This school is now called Carnegie Mellon University. While studying drama there, his teacher told him he was not suited to be an actor. The teacher suggested he should be a truck driver instead!

Despite this, Klugman moved to New York City to become an actor. He shared an apartment with his friend and fellow actor, Charles Bronson.

Jack Klugman's Acting Career

Starting Out in the 1950s and 1960s

Jack Klugman was very busy acting in plays, TV shows, and movies during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1950, he had a small role in a play called Mr. Roberts. Later that year, he made his first TV appearance on a show called Actors Studio. In 1952, Klugman made his first appearance on Broadway in the play Golden Boy.

In 1955, he appeared in a live TV show called "The Petrified Forest." He acted alongside famous stars like Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda. Klugman later said this was the most exciting moment of his career. He also appeared in several classic movies. One of his most famous early roles was Juror No. 5 in 12 Angry Men (1957). He was the last surviving actor from that movie's cast.

In 1959, he returned to Broadway in the original play Gypsy: A Musical Fable. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in Gypsy in 1960. He stayed with the show until it ended in 1961.

From 1960 to 1963, Klugman appeared in four episodes of The Twilight Zone. He starred in episodes like "A Passage for Trumpet" and "A Game of Pool". He appeared in more starring roles on The Twilight Zone than almost any other actor. In 1964, he won his first Primetime Emmy Award for his role on The Defenders.

Klugman continued to make many guest appearances on TV shows. These included The F.B.I., The Fugitive, and The Untouchables.

Starring in The Odd Couple

Tony Randall and Klugman in the publicity photo for The Odd Couple, 1972

In 1965, Jack Klugman took over the main role of Oscar Madison in the Broadway play The Odd Couple. He played a messy sportswriter who lives with his neat-freak friend, Felix Unger.

He later played Oscar Madison again in The Odd Couple TV series. This show aired on ABC from 1970 to 1975. During the show's run, Klugman won two Primetime Emmy Awards for his acting. In 1973, Klugman and his co-star Tony Randall even recorded an album together called The Odd Couple Sings.

Later Career in the 1970s and 1980s

After The Odd Couple ended in 1975, Klugman returned to TV in 1976 with Quincy, M.E.. In this show, Klugman played Dr. Quincy, a forensic pathologist. This means he was a doctor who examined bodies to help solve crimes. He was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for his role in Quincy, M.E.. He also wrote four episodes of the show himself! The series ran for eight seasons and had 148 episodes, ending in 1983.

In 1986, Klugman starred in a comedy show called You Again?. He played a father whose son was played by John Stamos. The show ran for two seasons. He also appeared in a TV miniseries called Around the World in 80 Days in 1989.

Acting in the 1990s and 2000s

In 1989, Klugman faced a health challenge when his throat cancer returned. This illness kept him from acting for four years. But he was determined to return! In 1993, he came back to Broadway in a play called Three Men on a Horse. He acted alongside his old friend, Tony Randall. That same year, he and Tony Randall reunited for a TV movie called The Odd Couple: Together Again.

He continued to make guest appearances on TV shows like Diagnosis: Murder and Crossing Jordan. Klugman also starred in two Broadway revivals of the play The Sunshine Boys in 1997 and 2007.

Klugman in August 2005

In 2005, Klugman acted in the comedy movie When Do We Eat?. That same year, he wrote a book called Tony and Me: A Story of Friendship. The book was about his long and close friendship with his Odd Couple co-star, Tony Randall. Klugman even gave a speech at Randall's memorial service in 2004. Klugman was a big fan of the New York Mets baseball team. He even started a blog about baseball and his friend Randall.

His last movie role was in the 2010 horror film Camera Obscura.

Jack Klugman's Personal Life

Family Life

Klugman in November 2009

Jack Klugman married actress Brett Somers in 1953. They had two sons, Adam and David. Adam even had a small role as a child version of Oscar Madison in a flashback on The Odd Couple TV show. Klugman and Somers separated in 1974 and later divorced in 1977. Brett Somers passed away in 2007.

Klugman began living with Peggy Crosby in 1988. They got married in February 2008, after Brett Somers's death.

Other Interests

Jack Klugman loved horse racing. He even owned a racehorse named Jaklin Klugman. This horse finished third in the famous 1980 Kentucky Derby race. Klugman said that Jaklin Klugman's success was one of the most exciting things in his life. He had a farm where he kept many horses, which he named El Rancho De Jaklin.

In the 1980s, Klugman also lent his name to a popcorn business called "Jack's Corn Crib."

Health and Passing

Jack Klugman was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1974. In 1988, he had surgery for his throat cancer and lost a vocal cord. This left him with a quiet, raspy voice. But he didn't let that stop him! He continued to act on stage and television. Over time, he even regained some strength in his voice.

Jack Klugman passed away from prostate cancer at his home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles on December 24, 2012. He was 90 years old. People remembered him as an "extraordinary actor" who could make ordinary characters special. His ashes were placed in a columbarium at Westwood Memorial Park cemetery in Los Angeles.

Jack Klugman's Stage Performances

Jack Klugman's Movies

Jack Klugman's TV Shows

Awards Jack Klugman Won

Images for kids

• 

  Publicity photo for The Twilight Zone, 1963

• 

  Tony Randall and Klugman in a publicity photo for The Odd Couple, 1972

• 

  Klugman in August 2005

• 

  Klugman in November 2009

See also

In Spanish: Jack Klugman para niños